Just Friends
by uber-tastic
Summary: Elsa still isn't entirely sure how Anna got it in her mind that they should be friends with benefits, but a few weeks and one set of unexpectedly romantic feelings in, their relationship will never be the same. Based off a set of posts by tumblr user fixeruppr.


It's normal for them, Elsa reasons, though she's well-aware that it wouldn't be normal for any other pair of friends. Anna's just a touchy-feely person, she tells herself, and while Elsa's never been the most comfortable with contact, something about Anna makes it feel natural, welcome.

So Elsa doesn't question the hand-holding or the greeting hugs or the quick cheek pecks or the way they seem to comfortably settle into each other whenever they're sitting even remotely closely. It never occurs to her that other people might think it's strange that Anna's arm, without fail, wraps itself around her shoulders or waist when they're standing next to each other, or that she always lets her head ease its way down to Anna's shoulder until she can feel the pressure of Anna's cheek against the top of her head.

If anything, it makes her happy. Elsa's glad to know she has a friend like Anna; one that brings her out of her shell with warm hugs and kisses pressed firmly to her cheeks.

When Anna asks if she can kiss her for real, while they're watching some terrible horror flick in Anna's apartment, Elsa is hardly given a second to wonder if that would be considered strange before Anna turns from the TV to stare at her directly.

"Just as friends, of course," she explains, her one arm still slung over Elsa's shoulders. She grins lopsidedly, like she didn't just suggest that they should get even more intimate with each other.

Elsa's weak to Anna's smile, so she just nods and mutters a short "sure", and the next thing she knows, Anna's leaning down and pushing their lips together, gently as though if she's too forceful, Elsa will pull away.

She doesn't, and before she even has the chance to breathe, Anna's ended the kiss, a small smile on gracing her lips.

"That was fun," she states, "I should have asked if we could do that sooner."

Elsa cracks her own smile, hardly larger than Anna's, and agrees.

When she leaves that night for her own place, Anna leans in again and gives her another kiss, so light Elsa has to return the pressure just to confirm for herself that it actually happened.

Kissing is added to the list of things they do together. Neither thinks to question it.

* * *

"I know you and Elsa have been friends since the beginning of time, but don't you think it's just a little bit weird how touchy you are with each other?" Kristoff asks Anna one day, as they're out grocery shopping.

"No?" Anna responds. She doesn't bother to look up from the two loaves of bread she's comparing. "Maybe it's different for guys, but girls can totally hold hands and stuff without it being weird."

Kristoff grabs one of the loaves, ignoring Anna's protests about still looking at them. "You guys do a lot more than just 'hold hands and stuff'. I mean, I get the occasional hug, but you practically make out every time you see each other. "

"So what?"

"Nothing," he shrugs. "I'm just saying you guys act a whole lot less like friends and whole lot more like girlfriends."

Anna laughs and walks to the end of the aisle, letting him trail behind her. "That's ridiculous, Kristoff. There's absolutely nothing romantic about our relationship."

"All physical then, huh?" Kristoff shoots back, crossing his arms awkwardly around the hand basket he's holding. "Like, girl-friends with benefits?"

"Puh-lease." Anna rolls her eyes and tosses a box of cereal into the basket.

Kristoff doesn't budge, raising an eyebrow and fixing her with a steady look of skepticism. "Uh huh. Well when it happens, don't say I didn't see it coming."

Anna waves him off and continues to make her way through the store, resolutely pretending she _isn't_ thinking about what a good idea it was.

* * *

Elsa's not sure how to take Anna's new request.

Hugging? That's fine; typical, even. Kissing? A bit more of a stretch, but for them, completely normal. Sex? Elsa's mind can't seem to process it.

"Uh, Anna? I really appre- I mean, I'm happy that you'd want to do something that intimate with me, but don't you think it's a little, well…" she trails off, desperately hoping Anna will realize that having sex is not just something that friends casually do with each other.

She doesn't. "A little what?"

Elsa wrings her hands, "A little strange? It's just that – isn't, uh, sex something you'd want to do with your – oh, I don't know – future boyfriend, maybe?"

"Yeah, well, duh," Anna says simply, as though she honestly can't comprehend why Elsa's making such a big deal about it. "But we're already kissing and I figured, hey, a little more tongue wouldn't hurt anyone…" She finishes with a small shrug, her sheepish grin poorly masking how excited she is at the prospect of them sleeping together.

Elsa watches the way Anna's hands find each other and pull at each other nervously. She briefly imagines what they would feel like on her body, and she flushes bright red at the thought, coughing to try to cover her embarrassment.

"Well?" Anna asks, expectantly. She's biting her lip in a way that means she's really putting herself out there and is actually nervous about possible rejection.

Elsa's gaze flickers back up to her eyes, and she can see the swelling doubt in them. "I," she starts, utterly unsure what she should say, before she remember that this is _Anna_, who she couldn't bear upsetting. Anna, whose happiness means more to her than even her own.

And, if she's going to be completely honest with herself, it isn't like she's _never_ thought about getting a little bit friendlier with her best friend.

"Ok," she says after a long pause, trying her best to keep her voice sounding even and not at all like her heart had jumped into her throat at the knowledge that she's going to get it on with _Anna_ of all people. "Let's do it."

Anna squeals happily and pulls her into a crushing hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cries, nuzzling her nose into the crook of Elsa's neck.

Elsa returns the hug, arms wrapped tightly around Anna's waist and heart ready to beat out of her chest.

* * *

The most surprising thing about being friends with benefits, Elsa learns, is not how not-awkward the first few times were, but how little their relationship actually changes.

They still kiss briefly when they met up and before they part ways. They still hold hands, swinging them in tandem as they walk side by side. They still cuddle, Elsa curled into Anna's side as Anna holds her.

Really, the only difference is that instead of one of them leaving for home after a long night of TV and junk food, they spend the later parts of the night kissing on the couch before moving into the bedroom.

They spend so many nights in each other's apartments, Elsa has trouble remembering which outfits she leaves where, and half the time she just ends up pulling on one of Anna's shirts, knowing she'll be returning it later that day anyway.

Anna always laughs on those days, when she pulls her shirt over Elsa's head, kissing her way up Elsa's torso as the skin is exposed.

* * *

It's bright and early on Valentine's Day when Elsa's phone buzzes in its spot on her bedside table. Reaching out blindly for it, Elsa briefly checks the time (_6 AM_, she notes irritatedly) before sluggishly tapping the answer button.

"Hello?" she answers, her voice halfway between speech and a yawn.

"Elsa! Hey, what's up?" Anna's cheerful voice floats through her phone, and despite the distortion, Elsa can hear the smile in it.

"Anna, it's six o'clock in the morning. Go back to sleep," Elsa mutters sleepily.

"Oh, come on, now! The sky's awake," Anna starts.

"So you're awake. I get it, I get it. What do you want?" Elsa asks, rolling over to pin the phone between her head and the pillow.

She can hear giggling on the other line before Anna speaks again. "It's Valentine's Day! Do you know what that means?"

"No, please enlighten me," she responds, not even trying to disguise her sleepy amusement.

"It means we're gonna spend the day together, obviously," Anna tells her like it's the most obvious thing in the world and Elsa's clearly crazy to have not realized it.

Elsa yawns, hand over her mouth trying to mask the sound. "Anna, we 'spent' all day together yesterday, and I'm completely worn out. I don't think I could handle a second day of that."

Anna huffs on the other line, and Elsa smiles sleepily. "That's not what I meant!" she protests. "Look, you better get ready because I'm already leaving my apartment. I'll see you in thirty."

"Huh?"

"And dress nicely! I won't be taking a bum out on a date!"

The phone's call-ended sound plays lightly in her ear, but Elsa's too busy falling back asleep to really notice it. Then Anna's words set it.

She sits up abruptly, her phone slipping from her bed to the floor, the soft thud not even registering in her mind.

"A _date_," she repeats incredulously, and for a few seconds, all she can hear is the sound of her heart pumping away, far faster than it usually does. "_A date_?"

Elsa springs from her bed, rushing to her closet and rooting through widely in her search for her nicest semi-casual clothes. She mentally curses herself when she realizes she left her favorite blouse at Anna's last week and never bothered to pick it up.

Tossing the clothes she picked on her bed, she runs a hand through her hair and blanches. _I still need to freshen up_, she thinks, casting one last cursory glance at the sweater she pulled from her closet and wondering that's _really_ the best one she could have chosen.

* * *

Anna arrives right when she said she would, a large box of chocolates with a gaudy heart-shaped balloon tied to it in one hand. Her smile's full to burst, and Elsa's certain that if Anna smiled any more, her face would split in two.

"Excited?" Elsa asks, ignoring how breathless she sounds and how much noise her heart seems to be making.

"For this box of chocolates? Definitely," Anna answers. "They were having a last-minute sale at the store down the street for all the jerks who forgot to get their girlfriends anything. I figure we can share it later tonight," she explains, holding out the box and winking.

Elsa takes it, laughing. "And just what does it say about you since you took advantage of that sale?"

"Well, I'm planning on eating half of that, so I guess that makes me an opportunist."

"Or a terrible boyfriend," Elsa shoots back, laughter still coloring her voice. She moves from the doorway so Anna can enter her apartment.

Anna follows her in and winks, joking, "The sex is amazing, so you'll never get rid of me."

Elsa has to swallow the lump in her throat at that one. "Oh, well I guess I can't deny that," she responds, mentally berating herself for thinking about having sex with Anna before they even start their date.

She sets the chocolate down on her coffee table and turns to face the woman still standing by the door.

"So," she starts, "where are you taking me?"

* * *

They get breakfast at a local café first, holding hands the whole time on their way there and as they leave. Next, Anna drags her to a nearby museum, pulling her from exhibit to exhibit as Anna tries to get as close to the displays as she can before the alarms sets off.

They're eventually asked to leave, politely but with barely restrained annoyance, by a security guard. Anna makes a fuss the whole way out, only stopping once the guard is out of earshot and sliding an arm around Elsa's waist as she guffaws at their situation.

It's about noon when they come across a small arcade and Anna pulls her into that too, stating that they can't leave until they've gotten through the whole zombie apocalypse game. They leave two hours later and twenty dollars down.

The next stop is a favorite diner of theirs for lunch, and when they finish, they stop in by Anna's apartment for a break from walking all over town. Elsa yawns loudly the second they get through the door, and laughing, Anna tugs her into the bed room, making quick work of their outer layers. Elsa gives Anna a thankful hug and crawls under the covers, smiling lightly as Anna follows behind her and wraps her arms around her waist.

When they get up three hours later, Elsa feels somehow both refreshed and nervous as all hell, as though every single nerve in her body was lit on fire while she slept.

Now fully conscious, she can't stop thinking about the things they had done that day. Everything was all completely normal for them – today certainly wasn't the first time they were kicked out of a museum; the portrait gallery on the other side of town had Anna's picture hanging by the front security desk as a warning – but when she thinks about the in the context of a _date_, Elsa can hardly stop the butterflies in the stomach from beating their wings wildly.

"Something wrong?" Anna asks when she notices how Elsa stopped putting her coat on midway.

"Huh?" Elsa responds instantly, head whipping around to look at Anna. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering where we're headed next."

Anna crosses her arms to think, face scrunching up cutely as she considers their options. She seems to settle on something before long, and she's soon hurrying Elsa to the door. "Let's go watch a rom com!"

"Where? The local theater? We haven't even looked up movie times."

"No, silly, your place!" Anna tells her, ushering her out the door. "Your couch is way comfier than mine and your TV's bigger."

Elsa rolls her eyes and lets Anna push her out the door, patiently waiting while Anna locks up, and Anna links their arms the second she's done.

"So I'm thinking either _The Princess Bride_ or _When Harry Met Sally_. What do you think?"

* * *

There's nothing strange about watching a movie together; they do it all the time, even. Anna's got an arm around Elsa's shoulder like usual, her other hand playing with one of Elsa's. It's all very normal for them. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

Except for how cold and sweaty Elsa's hands seem to have gotten, and no matter how much she prays that Anna won't notice, she can feel the girl shift to look at her. With a cursory glance up, she can see the utterly adorable look of confusion of Anna's face, eyebrows drawn together in slight concern.

Elsa looks back at the TV before Anna catches her sneaking a peek, and she refuses to look up again until she can feel Anna settle back into the couch, huffing softly at Elsa's insistence to ignore her. Elsa's certain her face is bright red, and, eyes peeking up as discretely as possible, she can tell Anna noticed that too, but right as she's about to excuse herself for a moment, Anna gives her hand an extra squeeze and pulls Elsa closer into her side.

Well-aware that she couldn't leave now even if she wanted to, Elsa lets herself relax, doing her best to pretend her heartbeat doesn't pick up every time Anna snuggles into her.

The next thing Elsa fully registers is Anna removing the arm wrapped around her and making to get off the couch. She's about to resist the movement until she notices the credits rolling on her TV screen. Looking up at Anna, she opens her mouth, a question already bubbling in her throat when Anna smiles at her apologetically.

"Sorry, I've got an early lecture tomorrow morning," Anna explains. "I should probably head back to my place now."

Elsa numbly nods. "Yeah, of course," she says, getting off the couch and following Anna to the door of her apartment. "I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, right?"

"I've never missed a lunch date with you and Kristoff yet, and I don't plan on starting now," Anna jokes. She looks into Elsa eyes, waiting patiently and expectantly, and it takes a beat, but Elsa realizes that she's expecting a kiss.

Which should be fine. After all, they've done it a million times. But this time is different. This time they just finished a date, and Elsa isn't sure if goodnight kisses on the first date are something that people do or if it's something she should do.

She stares right back at Anna, thoughts running a mile a minute through her head before she remembers that this shouldn't affect her like it does. She should be calm; kissing is something she's done before – even if it's after a date – and this is _Anna_, her closest friend.

Anna's gaze flickers downward, obviously hurt by Elsa's hesitance to kiss her, so Elsa quickly leans down and presses their lips together.

It's meant to be a short, innocent kiss, but Anna clearly has a different plan for it. Her hands grips at Elsa's hips, pulling her in and holding the two of them close together. Her mouth works smoothly, nipping at Elsa's bottom lip until she parts them, and her tongue takes advantage of the opening to slide into Elsa's mouth.

Elsa melts into the kiss, one hand tangled in Anna's hair while the other desperately tugs at her shirt. But something about it isn't right. She's enjoying it and feeling almost lightheaded from the sensations, but it's weird. Everything just feels _weird_.

Breaking the kiss, Elsa closes her eyes, terrified that if she opens them, she would have to see Anna staring back at her. Just looking at Anna at all seems like a bad idea, even though the thought of seeing the girl breathless and smiling after the kiss makes a strange heat blossom in her chest. She leans forward, letting her forehead bump against Anna's.

"Text me when you get back to your apartment, alright?" Elsa asks, eyes still closed.

Anna pushes their lips together briefly for one last time. "Of course." She lets Elsa's hips go, and Elsa can feel a rush of cool air hit her as the door opens. "Good night, Elsa."

Sleep is annoyingly elusive that night after Elsa crawls into bed. Elsa can only stare at the ceiling of her bedroom wondering what could have possibly changed between them that would make her feel such an odd mixture of elation and nausea.

* * *

By the time Elsa rushes into the cafe across from the campus gates, Anna and Kristoff are already sitting at one of the window tables. She spots a third cup sitting on the table as she walks up, and she smiles lightly at her friends' consideration.

"Sorry I'm late," she greets, draping her bag off the back of her chair.

Anna leans over the second she sits down to give her a quick peck on the lips, something that makes Elsa flush and quickly hide her face with the coffee they got her.

Kristoff gives her a curious look but says nothing, opting instead to turn to Anna and ask her, "So how was your Valentine's Day? You seemed pretty excited about it when you called me the night before."

"It was great!" Anna tells him, catching Elsa's eye and grinning at her. "Elsa and I were valentines."

"Oh, really," Kristoff enthuses, eyebrows raised and looking between the two of them approvingly. "Well it's about damn time, jeez."

Anna squints her eyes, her face an odd mixture of confusion and worry. "What do you mean?"

"The two of you together! I mean, I get that you guys were making that whole 'friends-with-benefits' thing work out all right, but, I don't know," he pauses, running a hand through his hair, "something about you guys going out just makes sense."

Elsa, who had just attempted to take another sip of her coffee, chokes at Kristoff's statement, bringing her hand up to her mouth to stop herself from spraying the mouthful all over the table. She doesn't even get a chance to consider swallow before Anna cuts in.

"Wha? No, Kristoff; you've got it all wrong! Elsa and I were friend-valentines! Just as friends, right Elsa?" She rounds on Elsa, looking at her pleadingly and silently asking for her support. Elsa catches one glance at Anna's face and almost chokes again, swallowing thickly and coughing when the liquid slips down her windpipe.

Both Anna and Kristoff react immediately, pounding her back as she coughs out the coffee she inhaled, and the second she can speak again, she settles on a topic she knows always distracts her two friends.

"How's Sven?" she asks, voice still hoarse from coughing. She internally prays that they won't continue to press her on Valentine's Day, and much to her luck, Kristoff's eyes light up and he starts on a long-winded story about his dog.

When she catches Anna's eye again, she deflects the concerned look with a shaky smile.

* * *

Anna and Kristoff have a lecture together right after lunch, and Elsa's done for the day, so she says goodbye to them at the café entrance and heads off back to her apartment. The walk back is by no means long, but after the conversation at lunch, it feels like too much time for Elsa to be alone in her head.

She really shouldn't be surprised it was just a friends thing, she reasons, annoyed at herself for getting so worked up about it. There's no reason for her to make such a big deal out of it, even if it's only mentally. And besides, their relationship is good – great, even – the way that it is. She shouldn't mess it up by worrying about such silly things.

She shouldn't mess it up by worrying about such silly things, she tells herself again, like repeating it will somehow make it more convincing.

* * *

Their relationship doesn't really change after the day-after-Valentine's fiasco. Anna still comes over on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and Elsa still goes to visit her on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. They still cuddle up when they sit together on the couch, and they still get frisky almost every other night.

Everything's back to normal, even if Elsa still feels overly-conscious of every bit of contact the two of them have. She resolutely ignores the way just being around Anna seems to put her on edge, and she passes off the feeling of near-constant anxiousness as stress.

But she can't deny the way she doesn't want to get out of bed on the days that she stays over at Anna's. She also can't deny her desire to start making them breakfast, maybe surprising Anna with it before she wakes up.

Then there's the restless way she can't seem to get comfortable at night unless Anna's got her arms wrapped around her, something Elsa never had to deal with before the nap they took during their Valentine's date.

And it's seems she's developed an addiction to making Anna laugh, no matter how terrible or corny the joke, because she just wants to see the way Anna's whole face lights up when she laughs, her mouth stretched in such a perfect smile.

Elsa finds herself initiating the contact between them more, doing things she always let Anna do before, just so they can touch. She starts laying her head in Anna's lap, head spinning when Anna's hands gently comb their way through her hair. She spends less time paying attention to the TV they watch and more time glancing at Anna's profile, heart swelling with every little smile and show of emotion.

She can hardly walk down the street or around campus or through the local grocery store without thinking of things she can do with Anna, presents she could get Anna, ways she could surprise Anna…

Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna…

It confuses her completely, her sudden preoccupation with her best friend. The feelings are completely alien, nothing like she's felt since she met the other girl _or_ in the year they've been a little bit more than just friends.

Eventually it occurs to her that she can't keep on like this, so she calls Kristoff one night when Anna's not around, and explains every painful detail of her turbulent emotional state.

Kristoff spends the next three minutes utterly silent, before he mutters a soft, "Oh, Elsa."

"What?" she shoots back, a little too vehement, and she winces at the sharpness of her tone.

"Elsa, you like Anna. And not in a friend way either," he explains, his voice gentle, as though he's afraid of how she might react to the news. "You're in love with her."

Elsa almost drops her phone as he says it, and she drops to her couch, unsure whether her legs can really hold her for all the shaking they're doing.

"No," she responds, quiet but determined. She speaks up, adding a little force to her voice. "No, I can't be. I'm not going there, Kris. Not with Anna."

She can practically hear him shrug in defeat, but he doesn't try to push her any more. "Alright, fine," he says, resigned. "I can't tell you to acknowledge it, but just remember, you won't be able to run from it forever."

With that, he wishes her a quick goodnight and hangs up.

* * *

Even after a month of constant denial, Elsa is no closer to shaking off the weird feelings she get whenever she's around Anna. She likes to think that she's gotten better at not thinking about Anna all the time, but every time Kristoff gives her a knowing look, she knows there's no point in pretending she's come that far.

Her and Anna's relationship still continues the same as always, and Elsa takes that as a small blessing, that her emotional turmoil does not affect one of the best parts of her life. She almost thinks that she might be able to keep living like this forever, resolutely ignoring the conversation she had with Kristoff so many nights ago.

But then Anna tells her about Hans.

He's some boy in her Norwegian History discussion section, and, if the way Anna speaks about him is any indication, he's the best thing to happen to the human race.

He's handsome and charming and such a nice guy. Funny, but not in an asshole-ish way; he's quirky, like Anna's quirky, and sometimes she feels like he's the only one who really gets her.

"He's absolutely _perfect_," Anna finishes, staring dreamily in the distance and toying with her food. She doesn't seem the notice the way Elsa's face progressively fell throughout the night, and, picking at her own food sullenly, Elsa almost regrets insisting that she cook for them tonight.

"He sounds wonderful, Anna," she says, ignoring how every nerve in her body feels like it's screaming in pain, but she can't block out the way her heart pounds forcefully against her chest or the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

Anna smiles at her, mouth stretching from ear to ear, and Elsa can feel another punch to her gut at the knowledge that someone else put it on her face. Anna looks away, almost shyly, shortly after and pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, an old nervous tick of hers Elsa can spot from a mile away.

"About that, actually," Anna starts, teeth worrying her bottom lip. "He really likes me, and I like him too, so… I, uh, I think we should stop."

Elsa can feel her expression freeze on her face. "Stop?" she asks, terrified by what Anna could possibly mean.

"Stop sleeping together. I mean, the sex is great, and I'll always be your friend, but… _Hans_," Anna explains, finishing sheepishly as though she didn't just spend the night raving about the man.

Elsa wants to say something in response, but the second she tries to make her voice work, she can already feel it giving out on her. She nods quickly, hoping Anna doesn't wonder why she clammed up so quickly.

To her luck, Anna doesn't, though she does leap out of her chair and rush to Elsa's side of the table, pulling her up so she can kiss her on the cheek and give her a crushing hug.

"Thanks for being so understanding," Anna tells her, her voice muffled from the way her face is pressed into the crook of Elsa's neck. "You're the best friend in the world."

Elsa returns the hug hesitantly, as though she's not sure if she's even allowed hugs anymore, and tries to ignore the way holding Anna only makes the pain worse.

* * *

After Anna's left and her apartment is empty, Elsa sits on her couch, numbly noting that it's a little lonelier than she's used to, sitting there by herself.

She has a book open on her lap, but she doesn't register the words on the page and isn't fully aware of how she got even got there. Her heartbeat is the only sound in the room, but even more than the way it pounds in her ears, she can feel it beat against her rib cage like it's taunting her for caring for someone so much.

Her chest aches in a way she can't really explain, like it's on fire but also being crushed with all the pressure of a black hole. All she can think about is how stupid she was thinking all those weeks that she didn't love Anna. That she _couldn't _love Anna.

She certainly isn't a love expert, but the way she's feeling now – the pain, the ringing in her ears, the sheer speed and intensity of her heartbeat – can only mean one thing.

She's heartbroken.

* * *

Elsa finds it unbelievably hard to see Anna again after that night, and, though she knows it would be impossible to avoid her completely, she tries to keep their time together extra short.

It helps that Anna spends so much time with Hans now, though thinking about that drives spikes through her chest.

Now when they meet up for their daily lunch dates with Kristoff, Hans joins them, always taking the seat nearest Anna and holding her hand on the table for nearly the entire meal. Elsa scoots her chair closer to Kristoff and tries her best to avoid eye contact with Anna on the other side of the table.

Conversation is considerably harder to stay away from, and it seems like every time her attention drifts away, Anna pulls her back with a question directed to her. Elsa answers each one to varying degrees of coldness, some bordering on warm while others sound so aloof even she's surprised at herself.

For every gruff answer she gives, she can see Anna's face drop, and that's almost enough to get her to open up again, but then she hears Hans drag Anna's attention back to him, and she clams up again.

Kristoff stealthily bumps her knee with his under the table, and Elsa's phone buzzes where she had placed it on the table, a text message notification popping up on the screen. It's from Kristoff.

_Hang in there, okay?_

* * *

Sven bounds around the snowy ground, tail wagging and head whipping from sculpture to sculpture.

"It's been a while since we've hung out alone, hasn't it?" Kristoff asks, softly as though if he speaks too loudly, he'll damage the ice around them.

"Actually, I don't know if we've ever really hung out alone," Elsa responds, her own voice barely above a whisper as she marvels at the pure artistry that surrounds her.

They come to a halt in front of one of the most intricate of the ice sculptures in the exhibit. "Well thanks for coming anyway," he tells her, leaning down slightly so that she can hear him.

"No, I should thank you. This is really getting my mind of the whole…" she trails off.

Kristoff turns to face her, nudging her shoulder to do the same. "Oh no, you don't," he says. "You are not thinking about that today. Today is about ice, so you are only going to think about ice. Got it?"

Elsa smiles sheepishly at him, hoping to thank him telepathically because she's not sure if she can really speak at the moment. He grins back, and she knows that he understands.

They're about to move to look at another sculpture when they hear a whimper and some shocked gasps. Spinning around, they spot Sven, tongue stuck to a sculpture of a snowman and desperately trying to free himself.

Kristoff heaves a sigh, running a hand over his face. "And I told him to behave and everything."

Hand darting up to cover her mouth, Elsa giggles, and it's the first time she can honestly say she's laughed in weeks.

* * *

It's pretty rare for Elsa to get a call from Kristoff, especially so late at night. Tapping the answer button, she hardly gets the phone to her ear before he's talking at her.

"Elsa! Hey, sorry for calling so late, but it's Anna."

Her heart picks up in love-struck excitement at the mention of Anna's name but accelerates even faster in worry at Kristoff's tone.

"What about her? Is something wrong?" she interrogates him, one hand pressed to her chest in a vain attempt to slow her heart rate down.

"It's Hans," Kristoff explains, keeping his voice calm, as though he knows how worried Elsa is. "It turns out he's a huge asshole."

For all his concern, it doesn't help at all, and Elsa's barely containing her emotions when she grits out, "Is Anna okay? Did he hurt her at all?"

"No! No, Anna's okay, Elsa. If anything, Hans is the one hurting right now."

"What happened?" she demands, unconvinced that Anna could have gotten out unscathed after butting heads with Hans.

"Hans tried to get Anna to sleep with him before she was ready to," Kristoff tells her, careful to cut her off when she tries to get a word in. "They got in a fight about it, and she knocked him right in the nose. Then she called me to pick her up from the ER, because she can't even break a guy's nose without making sure he's taken care of apparently."

Elsa wants to laugh, but she's too busy steaming at the knowledge that Hans had only gone out with Anna for sex. If Anna had been dating _her_…

She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, sighing heavily in both relief and exasperation. "So she's okay?"

"Physically, yeah. I kept asking her if she was fine the whole drive to her apartment, but she just insisted nothing was wrong. I'm worried she might not want to open up to me about how she's feeling emotionally, though."

"And what do you want me to do about that?" Elsa asks him, well-aware that there's nothing else she would love to do more than rush to Anna's apartment and kiss her until she feels better, but that's not the relationship they have anymore.

Kristoff huffs into the phone. "I want you to go over there and comfort her. I don't care if you guys hit a rough patch in your relationship; you're still Anna's best friend, and if anyone's gonna get through to her it's you."

Elsa wants to be able to protest that, but, knowing that she can't, she just gnaws her bottom lip until Kristoff speaks again.

"Get your ass over there, Elsa. Anna wants to see you."

And that's that. No matter how much it might hurt to be with Anna without _being_ with Anna, there's no way she can just sit by while Anna's in pain.

"Alright," she eventually mutters into the phone. "I'll go make sure she's okay."

She presses the end call button before Kristoff has a chance to respond.

* * *

The wait outside Anna's door is terrible. Part of her is afraid that Anna might not want to see her, especially after the way she acted over the past few weeks.

Worried that Anna may not have heard her first knock and raising her fist to knock again, Elsa freezes when she hears Anna's voice.

"Hans, if that's you, you can stay out there all night for all I care!" Anna roughly pulls the door open. "Don't think I won't send you to the hospital aga- Elsa?"

Elsa's vaguely aware of how silly she must look, one fist hovering in the air where the door used to be. She lets it drop to her side. "Hey, Anna, I heard about the thing with Hans. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Anna seems almost surprised to see Elsa at first, her mouth slightly gaping before it stretches into an adorable grin. "I'm completely fine. Better than fine, even! How have _you_ been? I know we still see each other all the time, but it feel like it's been months since we've hung out. I've missed you."

"I'm fine," Elsa says slowly, trying to interpret the jumble of words Anna just shot at her rapidly. "But are you sure you're okay? Shouldn't you be upset about Hans?"

"That jerk? Nah, I didn't even really like him in the first place," Anna tells her, one hand waving dismissively while her face stays transfixed on Elsa's face, like she could stare at it for days.

"What?" Elsa asks incredulously. Her mouth opens and closes a few more times, floundering for something else to say but too shocked to think of what that should be.

Anna shrugs slightly and runs a hand along her hair, as though she were pushing an imaginary lock behind her ear. "Haha, yeah…" she trails off awkwardly, laughter too forced to be convincing.

"Then why did you want to break up with me?" The words are out of Elsa's mouth before she can stop them.

"Break up with you?" Anna repeats, her expression dropping to one of concern.

Elsa winces internally; she's usually so much better at keeping herself together. "N-not break up with per se… I mean…" she stutters out.

Anna tilts her head slightly to one side in what would have been an adorable gesture had Elsa not been digging herself into a giant hole.

"Uh, n-nevermind. It's nothing. I just misspoke." Elsa shakes her head and tries to smile. "It's good to see you're all right."

Anna smiles back. "Tomorrow's Saturday, you know."

"And?"

"I always used to go to your place on Saturdays," Anna explains, pouting a little at Elsa's apparent forgetfulness. "I was wondering if we could start doing that again."

Elsa smiles for real this time, gently because she can already feel her heart breaking. She's not sure if she can handle just being Anna's friend again. "Only if you want to, Anna."

"Are you crazy? Of course I want to! I wasn't lying when I said I missed you."

That's all it takes. Elsa can't fight with such a heartfelt confession, even if she knows every moment from this point on will be emotional torture. After all, this is Anna, whose happiness means even more to her than her own.

"Well then," she says, desperately trying to hide her overwhelming mix of emotions. "I'm expecting you to pick out which movie we're watching."

Anna pulls her into a hug, right there in the awkward space between the apartment threshold and the hallway, and Elsa's heart jumps into her throat.

* * *

The transition back to friendship is only slightly easier than Elsa's expecting.

She and Anna go back to their six-days-a-week-together schedule, but Elsa does everything she can to limit their physical contact. When Anna goes to give her a peck on the lips, Elsa turns her head just enough to redirect it to her cheeks. Hugs are kept short, and while she can't find a way to stop the handholding, she never initiates it.

Most importantly, however, she outright demands that there be no sex.

Anna doesn't complain about Elsa's new restrictions; rather, she seems all too happy to do whatever it takes to keep Elsa around.

Elsa isn't entirely sure if she's glad or frustrated about that.

If Kristoff notices the change at all, he doesn't comment on it. He seems far too preoccupied with goading Elsa into telling Anna her feelings.

"Just go for it! What've you got to lose?" he asks, gesturing wildly while Anna's in the café bathroom.

Elsa smiles at him wryly. "This, Kristoff. I could lose this. She doesn't like me that way."

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that? You said yourself that she was super excited to see you after she broke it off with the asshole. People don't just get excited about seeing someone after a break-up unless they _really like_ that person."

She's not convinced, and it shows. "Yeah, and how do _you_ know that?"

Kristoff looks at her smugly, like she played right into his trap. "Because she didn't act that way with me."

Elsa can't think of a good argument to refute that, so she sits back into her chair, crossing her arms.

When Anna gets back from the bathroom, she finds them like that, Kristoff looking all too pleased with himself and Elsa glaring out the window. No matter how much she asks, neither of them will tell her what happened.

* * *

It would be a lie if Kristoff says he's happy with their current friend-dynamic. For all that his (outrageously large extended) family claims about his grumpiness, he's always enjoyed having Elsa and Anna as friends.

This fiasco, however, is just too much.

He doesn't mention Elsa's feelings for Anna out of respect and care for the older woman, but part of him wishes he could send screenshots of his text conversations with her to Anna, just to speed up the process.

There are only so many hints he can drop to both of them before _he's_ the one who wants to pull out his hair at their "unrequited" feelings.

After a few day of deliberation, he finally comes up with a solution. He digs up an old email he sent Anna's uncle, Oaken, a few months back about directions up to the North Mountain, and quickly types up a new message.

_Anna and Elsa are beating themselves up thinking that they don't feel the same way about each other. We need to help them out._

Over the next week, Kristoff and Oaken devise the perfect strategy: a nice weekend at Oaken's vacation home on the North Mountain. They choose the next weekend with a predicted snowstorm and send Elsa and Anna invites.

Kristoff smiles to himself, one hand scratching under Sven's chin. He and Oaken might not always see eye to eye, but they're going to make this happen.

* * *

The drive up to Oaken's cabins is uneventful, though Elsa keeps her eyes trained to the scenery outside the car window to make sure Anna can't see her blushing at the way Anna plays with her one hand.

It's late April, so Anna spends the ride excitedly pointing out the gradual progression of snow accumulation as they move upward in altitude. Kristoff keeps looking back at them from his place in the passenger's seat to laugh with Anna and shoot Elsa knowing looks.

She'd never met Anna's uncle before, but the large man is every bit the teddy bear – though Kristoff seemed to emphasize the bear part, especially – Anna and Kristoff insisted he is. The only thing unsettling, really, is the fact that Oaken sends her knowing glances that rival Kristoff's.

When they arrive at the resort, it takes them an extra few minutes of driving before they reach Oaken's cabins. He owns a couple, and while they're both sizeable, it's obvious they would only fit two comfortably.

Elsa hardly has a chance to realize what the implications of that are before Kristoff pipes up.

"Oh, darn, it looks like we're gonna have to split up the sleeping arrangements two and two," he says, with the fakest acting Elsa has ever heard. "I guess that means the two of us are going to be in one cabin, huh, Oaken?"

Elsa is rounds on him, mouth open in protest when Anna links arms with her. "Sounds good to me. What about you, roomie?" she asks Elsa, grinning and wagging her eyebrows at her.

The protest dies on Elsa's lips, choosing instead to fix an accusing glare at Kristoff, who just smirks and chuckles at her expense.

Anna beams at Elsa for her silent approval, grabs both of their bags from Oaken's car, and, hooking her arm around Elsa's again, drags her to the cabin of her choice.

Elsa lets herself be tugged along, already praying that the room has more than one bed.

* * *

The room, of course, only has one bed.

Between that and the suggestive looks Anna keeps directing at her, Elsa is certain there must be some deity out there that has it out for her.

She tries her best to ignore the way Anna's spread herself out on the bed provocatively, and searches through the cabinets and dressers for extra blankets and pillows.

"Hey, Elsa," Anna speaks up, halting Elsa mid-rummage. "It's getting kinda late. Maybe we should _get to bed_."

Elsa turns around to find Anna smirking at her, winking mischievously once she realizes Elsa's spotted her. Elsa shakes her head, going back to work looking for linens.

"Well, if you're not tired yet, I have an idea that will help tire you out," Anna says, trying again to get Elsa's attention.

Elsa keeps her eyes trained on the cabinet in front of her. "Anna, _no_." She yanks a sheet off one of the shelves and heads for the door. "I'll take the couch."

She can feel Anna's eyes burning into her back as she leaves.

* * *

The first thing Elsa's aware of when she wakes up the next morning is how cold it is in the living room, which is strange, she thinks, because she's got the best cold tolerance of anyone she knows.

Briefly taking note of the sheet that had fallen off her and to the floor, she rubs her hands together slightly and walks to the window to take a look outside.

All she can see is snow.

Opening her mouth to curse softly, she's stopped when Anna bursts into the living room, excited as a small child. "There's so much snow!"

Elsa smiles privately at the exclamation and quickly moves to the cabin's kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Anna asks her, following a few steps behind.

"I need to make sure we have food. I don't think we'll be leaving any time soon," Elsa explains, pulling the fridge door open and taking a quick inventory of what's there. It's fully stocked with more than enough food for a few days, something Elsa's instantly suspicious of.

Kristoff and Oaken definitely had something do to with this.

Spinning on her heel, she walks back towards the living room, well-aware of the way Anna just tags along just behind her. Anna doesn't say anything, though, so she doesn't either.

There's plenty of firewood by the fireplace, so Elsa tosses a few logs and some wadded-up newspaper in and searches around for something to light it with. Anna beats her to the punch, flicking a match in and watching as the fire quickly catches.

Satisfied that the room won't be frigid (for Anna especially; Elsa knows how easily she got cold), Elsa picks up her book from where it lays on the coffee table and sits down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Anna, who had opted to stay by the fireplace a while longer, watch her. The silence in the room, thick and strained, almost compels her to speak, but then Anna gets up, walks over to the couch, and sits down on the other side. Slowly, inch by inch, Anna slides closer to her, trying to move as smoothly as possible.

Elsa, annoyed that Anna seems to be treating her like a cornered animal, snaps. "That's enough, Anna." she says, irritation obvious in her voice.

Anna recoils, and, for a split second, Elsa deeply regrets speaking. "What's wrong with you? What did I ever to do you that made you decide to treat me like this?"

"I _said_," Elsa repeats, trying to control the sudden swirl of emotions inside her, "that's enough, Anna." She springs from the couch, striding past Anna and towards the bedroom.

"Elsa," Anna calls out, and Elsa can hear her get off to couch to follow. "What we had – we were _perfect_, Elsa. You don't have to do this. We can be like that agai-."

Elsa holds up a hand to cut her off as she walks into the bedroom. "No, Anna, no we weren't." She can hear Anna stop behind her, so she walks to the furthest wall.

"What do you mean?" Anna asks delicately, as though speaking any louder would scare Elsa away.

But Elsa has nowhere to run. She stands, facing away from the woman in the doorway and staring out the window. She wraps her arms around herself and rubs like she's cold and needs all the warmth she can get.

Breathing out shakily, Elsa knows this is it. There's nothing she can do, and as much as she tried to hide it, there's nowhere to hide now. Whispering, she breathes out a short "I love you."

The floor creaks behind her, and she _feel _Anna walking over to her. She's too scared to turn right now, but if she could, she's certain she'd see Anna right behind her, within arm's reach. She can even imagine Anna with her arms half out, like she wants to wrap Elsa in a hug but isn't sure if she should.

Elsa squeezes her eyes together and hunches until her forehead rests against the cold window pane. Steeling herself, she speaks again. "I love you."

Then she feels arms sneaking around her, holding her close. Anna's pushed right up against her, and she can feel Anna's heartbeat, racing just as fast as hers.

"You stinker," Anna mutters, her face pressed into Elsa's neck. "I love you, too."

Elsa is _so_ tempted to melt into Anna's embrace, but she knows she can't. Anna doesn't _love_ her; at least, not like she loves Anna. Anna's love is friendship and accepting your best friend, even if she likes you more than in a friend way.

Anna squeezes her harder and speaks into her shoulder, too muffled for Elsa to make out the words. Aware that Elsa is still stiff in her arms, Anna lifts her head and rests in on Elsa's shoulder. "Hey, I said I love you too, silly. As in, I'm in love you too," she explains, pressing a kiss into the back of Elsa's neck.

When Elsa doesn't respond, Anna keeps going, kissing her neck over and over again, until she apparently realizes that Elsa isn't going to move. Turning her around, Anna looks into Elsa's eyes, bringing her hands up to cup Elsa's cheeks. She smiles gently, and Elsa's breath catches in her throat as Anna leans in, kissing her with a force that seems out of place after the soft expression she had just given Elsa.

Anna's hands slide from Elsa's cheeks to her hair, pushing further until her arms are wrapped around Elsa's neck, resting on her shoulders. For every second that Elsa doesn't respond, Anna kisses her harder, lips, teeth, and tongue all working to get Elsa to react. She nips at Elsa's lips, like she's trying to convince her to open her mouth, and when she doesn't Anna bites down harder.

That finally works, and as Elsa gasps, Anna takes advantage of the moment to deepen the kiss, pushing her tongue past the threshold of Elsa's mouth. Anna presses her body in closer, as though she's trying to feel as much of Elsa can she can, and Elsa, misjudging the force at which Anna pushes into her, can feel her balance slipping.

Wrapping her arms around Anna in a desperate attempt to regain her balance, she only serves drag them both down to the bed, Anna on top of her. The second her back hits the mattress, she can feel Anna press into the kiss even more, almost emboldened by Elsa's slight response.

Elsa's mind is whirling, but all she can feel is Anna. Anna on top of her, wiggling slightly and trying to get even more contact between them; Anna's lips and tongue, moving so perfectly and teasing Elsa to follow along. She knows she can't keep up her stone-faced act much longer, so she doesn't.

She lets go.

The next thing she's fully aware of is the light patterns Anna's fingers trace on her stomach, her hands under her shirt and pushing higher. Elsa braces her hands on Anna's shoulder, gently pushing her until Anna has no choice but to break away. She isn't sure how long they've been at it; it feels like forever but somehow not nearly long enough.

Anna's hands are still teasing the skin on Elsa's stomach, so Elsa grabs Anna's arms and slowly removes them from under her shirt. Anna pouts and mutters protests the whole way, but Elsa successfully places them on either side of her.

It doesn't seem Anna likes hovering above her, however, so she quickly snuggles into her, face nuzzling into Elsa's neck where she presses a kiss that makes Elsa shiver. Tilting her head up, Anna breathes into Elsa's ear, mumbling, "It's about damn time, geez."

Elsa, meanwhile, is still struggling to catch up with everything that happened since entering the room. Her mind is in a haze, reeling from the kissing and everything afterward.

Anna pushes herself up to look down at Elsa and takes her silence as permission to continue speaking.

"That thing with Hans," she starts, nervously picking at the hem of Elsa's shirt with one of her hands. "I never really liked him. I just… I didn't think I had a chance with you, and I couldn't…" she pauses, as though she isn't sure how to convey what she's feeling, "It killed me, to be with you, to have you… but not really _have_ you, you know?"

Elsa breathes in deeply, but keeps silent, letting Anna go on.

"So I tried to move on, with Hans, but then you got all moody about it and then Hans turned out to be a huge douchebag… But I had a broken heart. Not because of him, but because of you, and then you just, like, _left_ me, and I…" she trails off again, her eyes flickering up to meet Elsa's.

"I just really missed you," she finishes, lamely, like she had a much bigger ending planned but forgot it halfway there.

Elsa moves her hands from where they had been clutching Anna's arms to wrap them around Anna's waist. She thinks back to everything that happened since Hans and how she had acted back then, trying to make sense of it all. Anna smiles sheepishly at her, hand still plucking away at the hem of Elsa's shirt.

She knows she should say something, but there are so many things _to_ say, and she can't decide which she should say first. A few things come to mind – I've missed you too, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left, I'm such an idiot, you only deserve the best, I love you so much, you're just so wonderful, you're perfect and I love you, I love you I love you I love you – but they all get caught in her throat as they try to escape at once.

Anna's expression subtly drops, and Elsa can tell she took too long to answer. "I guess it's my fault, really. I mean, I left first. I ruined such a good thing that we had going for us… I'm so-"

Elsa doesn't let her even think to finish that sentence, sitting up to crush their lips together. She does everything she can to pour all her emotions into that kiss, because even if she can't say what she's feeling, she's not going to let Anna blame herself for anything or think that she did anything wrong.

Anna melts into the kiss, returning the pressure and then some, hands quickly returning to the place they had found under Elsa's shirt. Elsa breaks the kiss to move her lips down Anna's jaw and to her neck, nipping and sucking the whole way there.

Somewhere amidst their new wave of passion, Anna tosses her shirt over her head and runs a hand down Elsa's braid to undo it, tangling her hands in Elsa's hair once it's free.

That's not enough, Elsa thinks, undoing Anna's bra and kissing down to her collarbone. _It will never be enough. _

Anna gasps as Elsa's hands find her breasts, fingers tracing around her nipples, now erect from arousal and the chill air in the room. Elsa dips her head and takes one into her mouth, sucking lightly and smirking as she hears Anna pant.

One of Anna's hands leaves Elsa's head to clutch at the sheets, the blanket long kicked off the bed when they had tumbled to it earlier. Elsa grabs at Anna's hips, pulling her closer, desperate for more contact.

Anna tugs at Elsa's hair until she breaks away, and, leaning down for a quick kiss, she yanks Elsa's shirt over her head. Elsa, unsatisfied with the short kiss, pulls Anna down for another, letting the other woman take off her bra and toss it away from them.

Elsa fiddles with Anna's braids until those are undone too, one hand running through Anna's hair while the other keeps Anna's hips from moving too far away. She feels Anna's hands run all over her now-bare back before sliding to her stomach and playing with the button on her jeans. Her hips buck from the teasing touches until Anna pops the button and pulls down the zipper.

Breaking their kiss, Anna slides off the bed and Elsa's lap, chuckling at the needy whimper Elsa makes from the loss of contact. With a hand on Elsa's shoulder, she applies pressure, pushing her until she's lying on her back. There, with Elsa lying down and Anna standing over her, Anna kicks off her own pants then hooks two fingers in the belt loop of Elsa's, tugging until Elsa lifts her hips and helps Anna pull them off of her.

Once both pairs of jeans have hit the ground, Anna climbs back on the bed, body gliding just above Elsa's, bottom lip caught in her teeth as she tries to hide her grin.

Elsa reaches out to her, hands sliding from Anna's sides to her back and then down to cup her bottom, catching her panties as she goes and pushing them down. Anna's bottom lip escapes her teeth as her smile grows, and she leans down to kiss Elsa again, this time much slower and sensually.

Anna's hands trail down Elsa's body, and her mouth moves to follow that path, kissing down Elsa's jaw, the line of her neck, through the valley of her breasts (a quick, open-mouthed kiss pressed to each pink peak), and even further downward. She snags Elsa's underwear, pulling at them as she nudges Elsa to lift her legs.

Tossing them over her shoulder, Anna continues her descent down Elsa's body until she reaches Elsa's core, flushed and warm and wet with arousal. Her eyes flicker up to catch Elsa's, and, keeping their gazes locked, Anna's tongue darts out, circling Elsa's clit. When Elsa lets out a low moan, Anna repeats the motion, over and over until Elsa throws her head back and groans a breathy "I love you."

Anna stops her ministrations to smile, giggling when Elsa makes eye contact again to shoot her a desperate look, silently asking her why she stopped. "Sorry," she mutters under her breath, dipping her head to start lapping at Elsa's sex again.

One of Elsa's hands tangles itself in Anna's hair as she works, her tongue lazily licking up one labia and down the other, occasionally flicking up to catch Elsa's clit or teasingly gliding across her entrance. Elsa's panting, hard, but she manages to find her voice, somehow.

"I'm so sorry," she breathes out, hand tugging at Anna's hair. "I'm so sorry for leaving."

She's surprised when she feels Anna's lips on her, still wet from her previous activities. "I forgive you," Anna tells her, fingers replacing her mouth at Elsa's core. "I'm sorry for not being honest."

Two of Anna's fingers plunge into her, and Elsa keens. "I forgive you," she moans. "It wasn't your fault. I forgive you."

Elsa pants to the rhythm of Anna's fingers pumping in and out of her. She clutches at anything she can grab – Anna's shoulders, the sheets, her hair – and groans every time Anna curls her fingers. She can feel Anna at her neck – kissing, biting, sucking – until she's certain she's going to go crazy.

Tilting her head to nip at Elsa's ear lobe, Anna whispers a last "I love you" into her ear, and Elsa comes undone, head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, and voice low in a long moan until it catches in her throat.

Anna keeps moving her hand as Elsa comes down, coaxing her to ride the orgasm as long as possible. When Elsa finally relaxes, she opens her eyes and sees Anna smiling down at her, expression as adoring as Elsa's ever seen.

"Hey," Anna mumbles, carefully sliding her hand free and looking all too satisfied with herself.

"Hey, yourself," Elsa responds. She's still a little breathless, and when Anna hears the way Elsa's still panting, she grins. Elsa can't fight a matching smile from finding its way on her face. "Keep laughing," she tells Anna, already flipping their positions, "because it's your turn next."

Anna laughs, and it's music to Elsa's ears.

* * *

It's been a long time since the two of them have just taken the time to enjoy each other's company. Even before the fiasco with Hans, there was so much going on between them emotionally, that Elsa isn't sure they've ever fully experienced just lying in each other's arms, enjoying the way it feels.

They've already retrieved the bed's comforter from where it had fallen to the ground, and, snuggled into each other, they talk.

"It's weird," Elsa admits, hand tracing patterns on Anna's sternum, "I'd never really considered seeing you as more than a friend before Valentine's Day. But the whole time, I kept thinking about how you called it a date, and it made me so nervous. And then I kept feeling that way. I stopped just having fun with you and started to want to cuddle all day in bed and make you breakfast once we woke up."

Anna chuckles a bit at that, tightening her hold on Elsa and signaling for her to continue.

"And then I talked to Kristoff about it, and he said that I liked you. I just thought 'No way, this can't be happening. I can't be in love with my best friend.'"

"But you were," Anna adds, kissing Elsa's forehead.

Elsa tilts her head up to give Anna a real kiss. "But I _am_," she corrects. "And I was so certain you didn't feel the same way, because you just seemed to approach everything so casually. Like, you didn't even bat an eye when you asked me to sleep with you the first time."

Anna ducks her head in silent apology, and Elsa kisses her again to let her know she's forgiven.

"And then the thing with Hans happened," Elsa continues, giggling softly when Anna makes a face, "which I won't go into because I know we both don't need that reminder. But it killed me, because it confirmed what I had thought all along: that you just didn't like me that way."

"I'm sorry for that too," Anna tells her. "And I'm really sorry about how casually I acted. I just liked you so much from the second I met you, and I was so convinced that you wouldn't even give the time of day to someone like me. So I pretended like our relationship was no big deal, because I was worried that if I acted too clingy or something, I'd scare you off."

Elsa kisses her again, a little longer this time. "I'm sorry for never picking up on your feelings."

"Don't be. I didn't pick up on yours either."

"Well then, I guess we're both sorry," Elsa jokes, laughing when Anna heaves a dramatic sigh.

"I forgive you, and I'm assuming you forgive me," Anna pauses, waiting for Elsa to agree, "so I guess the only thing left is to stop apologizing and forgive ourselves. Deal?"

Elsa can't keep the huge smile off her face. "Deal."

Grinning back, Anna leans in and presses their lips together again. "Glad we're clear on that."

* * *

Elsa and Anna are so entranced with each other, they almost forget that they're on a trip with two other people, and it's not until later that night that they're rudely reminded of that fact.

They're right about to start another round when Kristoff and Oaken burst through the bedroom doors, Oaken greeting them with his signature "Hoo hoo!", and Elsa can barely register their horrified looks before Kristoff slaps a hand over both his and Oaken's eyes.

"OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY," he yells, exiting the room and pulling Oaken along behind him. "WE'LL BE IN THE LIVING ROOM ONCE YOU'RE DECENT."

Anna sighs and flops back on the pillows. "Talk about a mood killer, huh?"

"You can say that again," Elsa mutters. She rolls off the bed and starts searching for her clothes.

"How long do you think they can wait?" Anna asks, watching Elsa attempt to pull her clothes back on.

Elsa shoots her a look over her shoulder, letting her pants fall to the floor only shortly after she'd gotten them past her knees.

"Long enough," she responds, crawling back onto the bed, lips crushed against Anna's.

* * *

When they finally join the two men in the living room, Elsa's certain her face is so red it could glow in the dark. Kristoff catches her eye and smiles, eyes darting between her face and her and Anna's joined hands.

"So I take you two worked out your problems, ja?" Oaken asks them, adding a few more logs to the fireplace.

Anna scratches the back of her head with her free hand, laughing sheepishly. Elsa's still too embarrassed to talk.

Kistoff just beams at them.

"Well it's about damn time, jeez."

* * *

**A/N:** I feel like I should have something to say about this, but I really don't. Enjoy everybody!


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